Youth Development Model Drives Philosophy for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area

There’s no mistaking the importance of giving kids the right foundation for success. It’s that critical base that helps kids succeed in school, at home, and even at play.

The Search Institute, which specializes in youth development via a research-based framework, has identified 40 Developmental Assets — characteristics that have been proven to contribute to kids’ success. Divided into external (school, family, social) and internal (self-esteem, inner development) assets, the list is a guideline for what kids need to succeed.

While the Search Institute has served as a resource to help communities and organizations across the country implement these assets level to improve academic success and youth achievement, one of those success stories is right here in Austin.

Success in Central Texas

The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area (BGCAA) has long used a similar model to the Search Institute’s 40 Assets program – a model developed for the overall Boys & Girls Clubs organization when the Club was founded in 1860.

It’s a philosophy that has helped BGCAA achieve tangible success for Central Texas at-risk youth.

“We’ve had many of those assets in place since our founding,” says Mark Kiester, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area. “It’s a model that works.”

For BGCAA, that model includes such major tenets as providing a safe, positive place to go after school; structured, purposeful programming; and meaningful, supportive relationships with people outside of a child’s immediate family.

“All of these support our goals and give kids a sense of belonging, which is critical to their success now and later in life,” explains Kiester. “The number one reason kids drop out is because they don’t feel attached to school. We give them a program with the opportunity to get involved, to volunteer and to help others.”

Discovering strengths

Giving kids a sense of competency in the form of structured, purposeful programming is another critical factor for BGCAA – and is also one of the major points in the Search Institute research.

For example, in the external assets category for children aged 12-18 — the primary target group for BGCAA — one of the 40 assets points is “constructive use of time” in the form of “three hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school or in the community.”

“All kids have competencies but they don’t always know what they are – like they may hate math, but discover that they’re great at chess,” explains Kiester. “We give them those opportunities, help them discover what they’re good at, and give them confidence to do anything they want.”

The organization also adapts to ensure they’re delivering the kind of programming that kids need. For example, in BGCAA’s Great Kids Report 2011 — an overview of the academic and personal successes of children who attend various area Clubs – the organization found that kids were scoring a bit less than their peer group in science.

The solution was to hire a science curriculum developer for all age groups served – writing curriculum and planning programming that aligns with both the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) assessment and local school district curriculum. And, it worked. At the end of the 2011-2012 school year, 100% of Club members had met the standard for the TEKS, compared to 83.3% of the comparison group of non-participants.

“The earlier you give kids the tools they need, the greater their chances are for success,” says Kiester.

Focusing on the greater good

While the overall BGCAA model is about giving children access to the critical assets that will support their individual achievement through after-school programs, that philosophy also extends to the greater Austin community — so that all kids have the tools they need to be successful.

“If you look at the list of assets and translate those into activities that match, that’s a positive influence,” says Kiester. “The more of those assets the kids have, the more likely it is that they’ll graduate from high school and go on to greater things.”

That sentiment translates into BGCAA partnerships across all school districts and all socioeconomic categories. For example, the Club is partnering with community leaders to bring Clubs to middle income areas and extend its model of success across the community.

Common sense success

Kiester says that BGCAA’s approach is holistic in nature – looking at kids as assets themselves, and as critical components to the success of the larger community.

“All of these assets are based in common sense – and are all skills that we as parents teach: a good education, community standards, good behavior, giving back,” says Kiester. “It’s a philosophy that works for our organization – but that has also proven successful across every socioeconomic level and that can translate to the success of the whole community.”